


The Lady and Her Sparrow

by Cibeeeee



Series: Tumblr Prompts & Request [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Team as Family, background Hanzo and Satya as bff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-12
Updated: 2016-11-12
Packaged: 2018-08-30 15:34:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8538568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cibeeeee/pseuds/Cibeeeee
Summary: It was a fondness that – if she wasn’t careful with it, it would consume her so quickly that sometimes Satya had to stop and take a deep breath. In, and out, in and out…to calm her beating heart.It reminded her of home.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt from tumblr: May I please request my rare pair Satya/Genji (Symmenji)? Thank you! And Happy Halloween!

There was a certain fondness that Satya harbored for sparrows.

It was a fondness that – if she wasn’t careful with it, it would consume her so quickly that sometimes Satya had to stop and take a deep breath. In, and out, in and out…to calm her beating heart.

It reminded her of home.

Satya didn’t live a luxurious life, if she had, perhaps she wouldn’t have been picked out by Vishkar.

Satya usually stopped there, because she honestly did not know what her life would be like _without_ Vishkar.

But – home. And Sparrows. Breadcrumbs from her breakfast that she leaves by the window. The chirping that sounded the arrival of the cheerful birds and the flapping of their wings that sounded their departure.

Satya never really got to see the looks of the sparrows that she had been feeding for years. They always startled and flew away as soon as she tried to turn around and look at them. Always just a flash of brown.

Sometimes, crows would join their breakfast. Satya turned and as usual, the sparrows flew away, but the crows stayed. Black beads staring at her. 

Satya didn’t get to see more of the sparrows. She was leaving for Vishkar that day, and Vishkar did not allow animals near the living quarters. 

The base at Gibraltar did not have any sparrows either. It does, however, have an abundance of seagulls. That flew too close to Satya for her comfort, their calls too shrill for her liking.

Satya looked at the distant figures of the seagulls swooping and soaring, from the corner of her eye, she saw a figure landing on one of the numerous crates.

He did not look at Satya, and Satya did not turn her eyes away from the gulls.

“Birds are amazing, are they not?” Genji said.

Satya did not particularly think so, but she agreed anyway. It was what people do in a social situation, agreeing for the sake of pleasing.

“You do not have to agree with me if you disagree, Miss Vaswani,” Genji hummed.

“I do not disagree,” Satya replied. “There are just too many species of bird to make such a general statement.”

Genji laughed, lowly. A mechanical, warm sound.

“That is true,” Genji said. “I see you here often. Do you like seagulls then?”

Satya finally glanced at the man at the top of the crates, perched like a cat, or – a bird. Without her visor to dull out the excess light, Genji looked too bright. The sunset reflecting off of his armor. All slick lines and perfect symmetry.

“Not particular,” Satya slowly replied. “But they are the only ones here.”

Genji stayed still. Without movement Satya should have no way of telling what Genji was thinking, yet here she was, eyes on Genji’s posture, looking for signs. His fingers relaxed. His black ribbon swaying in the wind and hitting his visor, but Genji didn’t move an inch. Satya had long since realized that Genji’s stillness was the sign that he was at ease. And it was a stillness that lulled Satya.

“Would you like to join me, Miss Vaswani?” Genji spoke suddenly, startling Satya. That was still a thing she hasn’t gotten the hang of, the movement that indicated Genji was going to speak.

Realization. She was trying to figure Genji out.

This realization made Satya turned away from Genji. Face impassive, skin heating up.

“No, but thank you for the offer,” she murmured.

Genji sat down in a lotus position, ready to meditate. “Some other time, perhaps,” he said, lowering his head to ready his routine.

“Yes, perhaps,” Satya agreed, allowing her to look again before leaving.

．．．．．

Satya met Genji on the very first day of joining Overwatch. He had volunteered to take her on a tour though the base, to which Satya declined. Rudely, now that she had thought about it. She had thought the man was being condescending, taking pity on a semi-forced to join member. Even though Genji had no reason to do so.  
  
Then again, Satya had thought a lot of people were against her, which all turned out to be incorrect. That time was no different.  
  
Genji hadn’t taken offense. Like he was used to dealing with an easily bristled and defensive teammate. He bowed slightly and said the offer was open to her at any time.  
  
Satya never did take up on Genji’s offer. She had toured the base on her own with the help of the AI - a much more comforting present than the rest of her teammates.  
  
Satya also made a second mistake upon meeting Genji. She thought he was a new type of omnic. Build for taking down enemies faster than humanly possible. This thought was debunked at the same night of her arrival, when she heard Genji called Hanzo “brother.”  
  
Her next theory was he was a human wearing an enhanced full-bodied armor, which in the end, turned out not so far from the truth. She never asked anyone. She had been trying to avoid interacting with her teammates, after all. But from passing conversations and basic database hunt she had found out parts the truth on her own.  
  
" _Cyberization due to severe injuries caused by-_ " Satya recoiled at this part of the report, feeling hot and intruding. She never found out why or how Genji’s acquire his injuries, not that she curious enough about another person’s past to the extent of digging up unwanted memories.  
Satya admired Genji strongly. She didn’t interact with him much, but she had always been a little in awe of the man. Beautiful lines and perfect symmetry. Sharp wit and even sharper blades.  
  
It didn’t take long after Satya warmed up to the team enough that Genji finally strike up a conversation here and there again. And how Satya asked him more questions than answered. And how Genji looked a little amused at that.  
  
“How old are you, Miss Vaswani?” Genji asked one day, after Satya explained extensively to McCree how responsibility works.  
  
“I am currently 29 years old,” Satya huffed lightly. “Why do you ask?”  
  
“You just strike me as more mature than most of our teammates.”  
  
“That is not very hard, I'm afraid.”  
  
Genji laughed, throwing back his head. “Very true, Miss Vaswani.”  
  
It was three months after she joined that she found out Genji was harmed by someone close to him. And it was five months later that Genji told her he was saved by Overwatch, which the commanders at the time ask for his assistance for taking down the Shimada Gumi.  
  
“Your family?” Satya had asked.  
  
“My family,” Genji confirmed, and Satya did not continue asking.  
  
And she had thought she was the only one that felt forced to join.  
  
“But this is my family now,” Genji said after a pause. “‘The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.’ A very often misquote phrase. One that describes many of us perfectly, would you not agree?”  
  
Satya had agreed with him. Though only with the latter, not the former.  
  
Almost one and a half year had passed since she joined. Satya began thinking that, maybe her answer would be different now.  


．．．．．

Satya started helping Dr. Ziegler work on fixing Genji. An arrangement that, despite Genji’s evident friendliness he had for Satya, still took a while for him to fully agree on.  
But as more members flock to the newly established organization, the head of the medical ward needed all her attention on treating the blood and flesh - and not the bolts and wires.  
  
Genji said this with a flat voice, so calm that Satya did not know if this is the situation where she should be offering comfort.  
  
Satya placed a hand on Genji’s, next to the exposed wires of his arm.  
  
Genji turned to her, his posture softened. “I am not being bitter,” he tilted his head. “This is just how I talk about my condition. And nor am I thinking ill of Dr. Ziegler. There’s too many members to look after and not enough doctors.”  
  
“I am not a doctor,” Satya return to tweaking the parts that had gotten loose or damaged during missions, occasionally looking at the blueprint Dr. Ziegler had given her.  
  
“No, you are something else,” Genji replied, tone light and fond.  
  
Satya peered up. “Yes, I'm afraid this kind of mechanical engineering is not part of my study as well. But I have more background than the rest of the team.”  
  
“No, that's not…” Genji shook his head and chuckled, leaning back to watch Satya work.  
  
Maybe taking on the task was more of a blessing than Satya had originally thought. Fixing on McCree’s arm and Lúcio’s weapon and Hanzo’s legs- which allowed her to develop fast friendship with the archer, settle her differences with the musician and form an exasperated relationship of becoming a dating advisor and listening to bad puns with the cowboy.  
  
And, to have pleasant conversations with the cyborg.  
  
But when Satya meets Genji outside of the lab or medical wing, she was always uncertain. For what reason she couldn't quite place, although it was enough for her to cut their conversation short and leave.  
  
During their session there was a task for Satya to focus on. During any other times there was nothing but Genji to focus on.  


．．．．．

Satya saw Genji’s face for the first time after six months of sessions. And after that – every time. 

．．．．．

A hand on Satya’s shoulder made her jumped, grabbing the hand and digging her fingers into it. Her nails met metal and provoked a laugh. The hand slipped away with a twist.  
  
Satya sighed and turned around, meeting Genji’s gaze. He wasn’t wearing his visor. And he was smiling.  
  
“I'm sorry, miss Vaswani,” Genji slipped into the seat next to her. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”  
  
“Then you should have announced your arrival.”  
  
“I did! I put my hand on your shoulder.”  
  
Genji’s cheerful response let any remaining fright or irritation died out. Or maybe she was just getting better at being around people.  
  
“What are you doing?” Genji asked.  
  
Satya looked at the small hard-light figure in the palm of her hand. Its gleaming blue eyes stared at Genji.  
  
It was a habit. When she was idle, and her hands still, Satya always needed something to do. After a while it became a habit that performed itself without thinking.  
  
“It’s...a hobby,” Satya said in the end. Making the creature hop lightly in her hand and onto the kitchen table. Its beak open in a chirp, but nothing came out.  
  
“Making sparrows?” Genji rubbed the tiny creature’s head, it did not respond to the touch without Satya controlling it.  
  
“Not just sparrows,” Satya replied. “They’re just a...recurring subject.”  
  
“What else do you make?”  
  
“Water Lilies, small scale replicas of places, humming birds, crow…”  
  
“What haven’t you made?”  
  
Genji’s smile was lovely, how had Satya never noticed? She caught herself staring before remembering the man was waiting for a response. She looked at her hand and pray that her face was as passive as she had trained herself to be.  
  
"A...a caterpillar," Satya said.  
  
“ _A caterpillar_?” Genji grinned until his canine teeth was showing, amused. “Then we must remedy this.”

And they did. They sat in a secluded corner in the kitchen. Weaving little blue caterpillars in their fingers. The night was cold and the kitchen was quiet. Satya was enchanted and Genji was lovely.  


．．．．．

Missions were never a concerned to Satya. Casualties were numbers on a paper that she sometimes spared a second glance. Before, there was no one in Vishkar she really cared about. Now in Overwatch, it was suddenly everyone.

And perhaps, there were some she cared more.

All Satya registered before realizing what had happened was a loud pop, and seeing Genji’s left arm emitting sparks and smokes from directly blocking a small bomb from exploding.

A woman came into view, machine gun in her hand. She aimed at Genji. Her finger pressed the trigger.

Genji jumped onto a bus. The woman’s bullets followed Genji all the way. Genji did not call for assistance, which irked Satya immensely.

Genji flipped and was behind the woman in a heartbeat. He kicked her face and knocked her out, but not before she put more bullets into his injured arm.

Genji swayed dizzily on the spot, entirely exposed to any attack.  

Satya was not a medic, but she ran toward Genji nonetheless.

“Lúcio!” Satya called into her earpiece. “I need help, Genji is injured!”

“I see him, go back to your position!”

Lúcio’s word came from the earpiece and behind. Satya slowed, ready to stop and leave.

Another enemy agent showed up, piloting a walker. Genji turned but his balance was off. He grabbed his own injured arm.

“And here I thought I had a plan,” Genji’s voice rang through the channel, before the walker swatted him off the cliff side.

Satya’s job was at the back. She sets up turrets, provide shields, update enemy status. Staying alive, so her teammates would have a way home at the end.

But there she was – running again.

“Lúcio!” Satya yelled as the medic caught up to her. “Speed boost, _now_!”

Lúcio yelled back in panic. “We’re heading straight for the cliff!”

Satya grabbed Lúcio’s hand as she pulled him off the cliff with her, taking him as he screamed.

Satya waved her fingers and a bridge caught them. She landed nimbly and Lúcio landed with a thump, narrowly escape falling off Satya’s hard-light construction.

“Do try to stay on so I won’t have to save you too,” Satya said into the wind as they slid down the bridge. Her fingers weaving her creation into an angle that allowed them to head down in the fastest speed possible without falling to their death.

Satya’s visor told her that Genji was still alive, but now he had more injuries in his armor than just his arms. Her eyes, however, caught two figures on the ledge below.

“Genji, behind you!” Satya said into the comm, but there was no response.

The ride was over before she could warn him further. She landed in a crouch, one hand in the dirt and one out to steady herself. Satya snapped her head up and her eyes met with the new attacker.

She broke into a run again and fired her gun. It forced the agent back a little.

“Go help Genji,” Satya ordered, and Lúcio was already ahead of her.

Genji twitched as Lúcio helped him up, and called out to her weakly as Satya ran passed them.

The attacker had a submachine pulse rifle on him. He fired directly at Satya.

Satya did not slow down or change her course. She waved her arms and the bullets were blocked by her shield.

The agent grunted. “Vishkar!”

“Not anymore,” Satya said as she swept her right leg out for a kick to the agent’s side. The agent blocked it with his arm, and Satya took the chance to land a direct shot to the agent’s hand, knocking the rifle to the ground. The agent let out a pained scream and lunged at the rifle. Satya kicked it off the ledge.

Satya stepped back, lowering her center to keep her steady. The agent wasted no time to look for his lost weapon and quickly turning and engaging Satya. Satya caught a palm to the side of her arm and accidentally fired her gun. Startled, Satya dropped her weapon. The agent threw a hook and Satya ducked, coming up on the other side.

The man swiftly regained his balance and threw another punch, Satya moved her head to the side and grabbing her opponent’s wrist, using the force of the punch to throw him into the wall.

There came a sickening sound of bones meeting stones, crackling and screaming from the man.

Satya gave him a final sweep at the ankle. The agent dropped and received another kick to the face, knocked out.

Satya huffed on the spot, standing up straight again and looking at the agent’s bloody face distastefully. Hanzo would not be happy to know that she made the mistake of getting caught off guard and losing her weapon.

Satya picked up her gun and walked quickly back to where Lúcio and Genji was. Lúcio’s jaw was almost at the ground.

“Holy shit!” he said. “Holy shit!” Lúcio said again.

Satya kneeled in the dirt next to Genji. Genji’s visor was directed at her, but she did not know if he was awake.

Eventually, a breathless laugh came from the man. Genji shook his head. “I know that fighting style anywhere,” he said. “I would have to ask about your training with my brother later, Miss Vaswani.”

“You may, if you stay alive until then,” Satya said, masking her nervousness. “How is his injuries, Lúcio?”

“He’s fine. His system suffered the most, mostly mechanical damage. His heart and brain and other vitals are all well.”

“I would argue that your brain have a few problems,” Satya responded. Her adrenaline-fused mind also fused her anger. “Why did you not call for help?”

“I didn’t know they have walkers,” Genji replied innocently. Satya had always wondered why Hanzo was always exasperated with his brother, saying he never took anything seriously, even his own life. Now she understood completely.

“You should have called for assistance the moment your arms fell off, not when you got flicked off the cliff like a fly!”

Genji laughed at that, no doubt painting the image of himself as a fly in his head. Satya bristled.

“Irresponsible,” Satya snapped. “It appears that you think your life worth more to other than to yourself.”

She stood, spearing no further glance at Genji. Lúcio looked at her nervously.

“Take care of him. I will go find the others to come and pick you up,” Satya raised her arms and blue platforms appeared before her. She walked gracefully up, eyes stinging just a little. The steps disappearing behind her, leaving no room to follow.

．．．．．

Hanzo told her that Genji, no matter what kind of wisdom that occasionally sprout out of his mouth and no matter how good he was at meditating now, there will always a part of him that was just downright reckless. And Hanzo had spent the early part of his life trying to strip that recklessness from of him, and now he would spend the rest of his remaining life to try and keep that recklessness in his brother.

“That’s part of him, Satya,” Hanzo said as he poured her a cup of tea. Hanzo keeps teas, hotplate and a kettle in his room so he doesn’t need to go to the community kitchen if he didn’t want to. And Hanzo had told her a long time ago that she could drop by his room and borrow it if she was feeling the same. Or just stay and have tea with Hanzo, which happened more than Satya just borrowing his kettle.

“I understand the frustration,” and Hanzo’s deepening stress lines at the corners of his eyes reminded Satya that her friend has been dealing with Genji’s sprits longer than she had. “But I also hope you understand when I say I want Genji to keep this part of him.”

There was so much implication in those words that Satya found herself unable to respond as Hanzo kept talking. The part of Shimada Genji that still reminded Hanzo of the sparrow that his brother once was…

Satya snapped her eyes away from her red eyes that stared back at her from the liquid in her cup. “What did you say?”

“What?”

“What did you call Genji?”

“Sparrow,” Hanzo’s eyes softened at the word. “It was a family nickname for him.”

 _Sparrow_. An erstwhile memory played before her eyes that seemed a little unfocused because she was still looking at Hanzo. Unfocused. Flickering. A sparrow outside her window, jumping lightly on its feet, cocking its head.

“A fitting name,” Hanzo said.

“A fitting name,” Satya agreed.

Satya’s irritation at Genji did not keep her from visiting him in the med bay. She was not one to let childish anger from keeping her doing what was more important.

Dr. Ziegler informed Satya that Genji has been discharged from medical attention already. And that no, she did not know where he went.  

“If you do find him, please kindly inform him to stop getting unnecessarily hurt in fighting. Since he dismissed himself before I could tell him that.”

At least there was someone who thought the same thing as Satya. Although to be fair, many people agree – they just don’t coddle Genji like she wanted to.

It was hard, Satya realized, to care about someone, but knowing you do not have any right to tell them what to do. There was a fine line, one that Satya found herself unable to solve. A dilemma that she often found herself in since joining Overwatch.

There was also a foreign worry. Satya had fallen for people before Genji, though this was the first time Satay had a choice to pursue if she choose to.

She found Genji under the Gibraltar sunrise. Visor facing toward the sea, body still.

But Genji broke his stillness when Satya approached. He looked down from his spot on the crates. Injured arm in a sling. Perch like a sparrow on a branch, or a windowsill.

Satya had to look away for a moment when Genji cocked his head to the side. Genji called her name, voice raised in a question, unaware of the effect he had on her.

“Miss Vaswani,” Genji called again, a mechanical, warm voice that always made Satya feel _so…_

“Would you like to join me?” Genji interrupted Satya’s train of thought. He stood up, facing her.

“Join what?” she asked, just to drag on the moment.

“Nothing,” Genji replied. “It is just nice, having your company.”

“How is your arm, Genji?” Satya asked.

“I had worse, to be honest.”

Satya could feel Genji’s gaze on her, and she kept hers on the pale gold of the morning horizon.

“I feel like I should apologize for my behavior during the mission yesterday,” Satya ran her fingers through her hair, braiding them messily. “It was not my place.”

“Would it be weird if I told you I did not mind it?” Genji asked, “And I want it to be your place?”

Satya finished her braid, untied it and started over again. She wanted to look at Genji but told herself not to. Satya had a feeling if she did, it would be like staring into sunlight – stinging her eyes and making her tear up.

“No,” she replied softly, knowing full well it was not loud enough to be heard. “It would not.”

Genji shifted. Shoulders jerked, startled.

“You should be resting,” Satya said.

“We were both on the mission,” Genji’s tone wavered a bit at first. “And yet here we are.”

Satya untied the imperfect braid again, giving up. She finally glanced up at Genji. The rising sun shines on his armor. Satya blinked.

“ _Satya_ ,” Genji tilted his head. Smiling with his voice. Tone warm and mechanical and comforting. A delighted sparrow that was happy to see her. Speaking her name fondly. “Would you like to join me?”

Genji reached out his good arm, as if he could just pull Satya up from where she was standing.

Satya took a step up, and looked down. Pale blue steps appeared beneath her. Satya didn’t even realize she had constructed them.

Satya took another step, and another, and took Genji’s hand.

His visor gleamed in the sunlight, and in that moment, Genji reminded Satya of home.

 

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on [Tumblr](http://cibeeeeee.tumblr.com/) and/or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/spiciestcibee?lang=zh-tw) ! this was very fun to write!


End file.
